Axd myrox coloxey



(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. H; MoLEAN & M. COLONEY.

MACHINE GUN.

No. 282,549. Patented Aug. 7, 1883.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. H. MGLEAN & M. COLONEY.

MACHINE GUN. No. 282,549.

Patented Aug. '7, 1883.

(No'ModeL) 5 SheetsSheet 3.

J MoLEAN & M. OOLONEY.

MACHINE GUN.

No. 282,549. Patented Aug. 7, 1883.

, flaw/21W):

(No Model.) I 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

J. H. MOLEAN & M. COLONEY.

MACHINE GUN. No. 282,549. Pa nted Aug. 7 1883.

(No Model.) I 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 J. H. MOLEAN & M. OOLONEY.

MACHINE GUN.

Patented Aug. 7, 1883.

W V 3 v em tinirsn 'rArns .l A MES i1 McLEAK, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI,AND MY OX COLON lCY, ()l NFAV HAVEN. tOXNEUlKUI; SAID (OLONEY ASHIGXOR'lO SA'H) Mclil'lANv MACHINE-GUN.

SPECIFICATION forming part. of Letters Patent No. 282,549, dated August'7, 1883.

(No model To all whom it may concern.

fic it known t hat we, Julitsil'i-LNRYKNLEAN and Mvnox torox'iav, bothcitizens of the t'nited States. residing, respectively, at St. Louis,Missouri, and New Haven. New Haven county, ttmnccticut. have iir'entedImprovements in Machine-(inns, of which the following is aspecification.

The subject of this invention is a machinegun constructed with ahorizontal range of any dcsirahle number ofbarrels. and a ln'cech-slidein the rear thereof, having a vertical reciprocating movement, andprovided with one or, preterably, two sets ot'loadehambcrs. eachcorrespond ing in number with the barrels, so that when theslide iselevated one set of chambers will be in tiring position and when theslide is depressed the other set. A corresponding range of magazines isplaced above or below the barrels, or, preferably, similar ranges ofmagazines both above and below the barrels, so that when the slide israised, bringing its lower range of chambers in position t'oriiring, theupper range of chambers will be in position for loading, and vice versa.This part of the invention may be carried out by the use 01' ordinaryspring-followers in the magazine for the automatic, charging of theslide-chambers; but another part of the invention coin sists in theprovision of a positive feed movement for loading the ei'iarge-chambcrsby followers sliding in the magazines and connected together by a bar,so as to be moved simultaneously, as hereinafter described.

The, invention fart-her relates to a tiring mechanism consisting ofarock-shaft operating on a slide or lever, and a system or series oflovers or triggms communicating from one to another of a series ofspring pins or hammers by which the charges in the range of barrels aretired, so that the firing movement of one pin or hammer may release thenext, and so on. and the barrels may thus be discharged in rapidsuccession from one end to the other ot" the series or from the centerto each end, the latter arrangement. having the advantage of avoidingany deflecting action which is liable to occur when the force of thedischarge and consequent recoil are heavier on one side ot thelongitudinal center of the gun than on the other, and also doubling therapidity of discharge,because it requires only halt as long to tire thebarrels from the center to each end as from one end to the other.

The invention further relates to a combination of rock -shat'ts,connecting-rods, and cams, or their equivalents, for imparting andcommunicating the required relative motion to the loat'ling-slide andtiringmechanism; also, to a device for throwing the trigger mech-- anismin and out, so that the discharge of the barrels or a part ot'thcm maybe prevented at will.

in order that the invention and the mode of carrying it into effect: maybe fully understood, it will now be described with reference to theaccom mnyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of amachinegun illustrat ing the invention. Fig. 2 is aside elevationot'thcsame. Fig. 2is a view, partly in section but mostly in elevation, of amoditied form of training mechanism for our inr proved gun. Fig. It is arear view thereof without the carriage Fig. lis a vertical longitudinalsection ot'tiueloadingandtiringnicchanism. Fig. 7 is a verticaltransverse section on the line 5 5, Fig. 4. Fig. ti is an elevation of aportion ot'thetiring mechanism on a larger scale. Fig. 7 is a verticalsection on the line 7 7, Fig; ti. Fig. 8 is a face view ot'a ratchet;-whccl keyed on a rocleshaft and employed to impart intermittent motionalternately in tip posite directions to winding-pulleys connected withthe magazinetollowers, as hercinatlcr dcscribcd. Figs. SI and it) areviews ot' the toothed l'accs ot' the said windingpulleys.

The bed or t'rame l is snivcled. upon a car riage, J, and is rotated bygcaringii, tort raining the gun. The said swivelcd bed is con .st ructedwith rigid chcek-platt -s orstandanlsl,

t'ormii'ig bearings tort'runnions 3 3, projecting from the extremitiesof a plate, ti, in the front of whichthe barrclsiare secured in allUl'iZ()|l tal rangein any usual orsnitablc manner. in the rear of thebarrels 7 is a slide, S, guided within a chamber formed to receive it,and haw ing a vertical reciprocating movement. The said slide is showninclevation inl ig. :i. It has two horizontal ranges ofcharge-cliambers, t) 9, the chambers in each range corresponding inhammers 19, for the number and distance asunder with thebarrels 7, andserving at each movement to take a set of cartridges rronr the magazines39 39", as hereinafter described, to firing position in rear of thebsrrels,

The ezvartical reciprocating movement of the slide lrtlhlparted by. arock-sh aft, 10, operated by hand-lever 11, and carrying upon its endseccen rics 12 12, connected by bands and rods 13 with the slide 8, so asto impart alternate upward and downward movement to the slide by thebackward and forward motion of the hand-lever 11. On the outer faces ofthe eccentrics 12 are wrists 14, connected by rods 15 with arms 16 ofasecond rock-shaft, 17, which carries a series of upwardly-projectingforked arms, 18, embracing the firing-pins or sliding purpose ofengaging the collars on said hammers and drawing them backward intococked position, in fwhichpo-- sition they are caught by triggers 20,engaging in notches2l in the underside of the firingpins. The triggers20 form levers of the first order, being fulcrum'ed at the center andpressed upward to-hold-theip'iiis by means 'ofsprings 22. The heels ofthe trigger-levers 20 rest in grooves 23 on the upper surface of thefiringgaging withan arm pins, .the said grooves decreasing in depthbackward, so that the forward movement of the firing-pin will elevatethe tail'of the triggerlever 20, which rests in the groove 23 of saidfiring-pin, and withdraw the nose of the said triggerfrom the notch 21in the next firing: pin of the series. The central pair oftriggerlevers, 20, are operated by a vertical slide, 24, in which theirheels are held, said slide beingpressed downward by a spring, 25, tohold the noses of the said central pair of trigger-levers, 20", in thenotches 21 of the central pair of firing-pins, 19%

It will thus. appear that the throwing up of the slide 24 will releasethe central pair'of firing-pins, 19",- so that they are thrown forwardbytheirfiring-springs 26, thus dischargingthe two central barrels.

The slide 24'is moved upward by an adjustable tappet-plate, 27 on therock-shaft 17 enorlug, 24, forming part ofthe vertical slide 24, orrigidly connected therewith. The tappet-plate 27 is formed with a notch,28, and is adjusted horizontally by a lever, 29, for the purpose ofplacing the firing I will not take place.

mechanism in or out of gear when required. When the said slide is thrownto the right, as

illustrated inFigs. 3 and 6, the tappet-plate .27, coming in contactwith the lug 24 of slide 24 at the termination of the forward movementof the rock-shaft 17 will move the-slide 24 upward, drawing the centralpair of trig gers 20, as alreadydescribed; but if the tappet-plate 27 bemoved to the left,the firing By thismeans the gun can be loaded withoutfiring, and afterward discharged at any required moment; or it can bedischarged automatically directly after the loading movement. 7 A

as before, so as to cock and fire semicircular dotted line 30 in Fig. 2indicates the path of the wrist 14, by which this,double may bedescribed as follows! pulleys 33 33, running the respective faces of Bythe above description it will appear that every backward movement of thehand-lever 11 by elevating the slide 8, bringsa set of cartridges fromthe lower range of magazines, 39, into firing position inrear of thebarrels, and the same movement, acting through the medium of the wrists14 on the arms 16 and rockshafl: 17, cocks all the sliding hammers bythe elevation of said arms 16, and again, bythe depression of said arms,restores the forked arms 18 to their forward position, and at thetermination of the same movement of the slide acts on the trigger-slide24, so as to discharge all the barrels in rapid succession from, the

center to each end, if the tappet-plate 27 beset for this purpose. Inlike manner the backward movement of the hand-lever 11 moves the slidedown, taking a fresh set of cartridges from the upper range ofmagazines, 39?, to firing' position, and imparting at the same time adouble movement to the rock shaft the gun. The

movementof the rock-shaft arms 17 is produced, said wrist 14, beingmoved from 30" to 30 on the upward movement of the slide 8, and backagain from 30" to 30" on the downward movement of the slide, a doublemovement of the rock-shaft 17' being thus produced by each backward orforward movement of the hand-lever 11.

' The magazine-followers 38 may be actuated by springs in customarymanner when shouldered cartridges areused, so. as to carry one suchcartridge into each load-chamber in the slide as the latter is movedinto position to receive them; but another part of this inventionconsists in a positive feeding mechanism in which the follower-springsare dispensed with, said followers being moved at each stroke the lengthof one cartridge, so as to force a set of cartridges into theslide-chambers, the entrance of which cartridges ejects the empty shellsor any unexploded cartridges at the rear of the slide. This positivefeeding mechanism v31 represents a lever operating a rock-shaft, '32,near the extremities of which are paired loosely on the shaft andactuated alternately by the engagement with their toothedinner faces ofpawls 34 on v disks 35, which are keyed to the rock-shafl; 32 betweenthe respective pairs of pulleys 33 33, so that when the rock-shaft ismoved in one direction the pulleys 33 will be turned, and when therockshaft is moved in the other direction the pulleys 33, suitabledetaining-pawls serving to hold the pulleys in each case against reversemovement. On the peripheries of the respective pulleys are coiled bands36 36", each connected to one of the transverse bars 37, to which thefollowers 38, within the magazines 39 39*, are attached.

The ratchet-pulleys 33 33 may, if preferred,

arms 16,

be mounted 011 the same rock-shaft, 10, which operates the slide andfiring mechanism. The load-chambers of the slide extend completelythrough from front to back. The cartridges 40 are introduced into theslide-chambers 9 from the front, and when fed by the positive movementdescribed may be made without shoulders, as shown in Fig. 4. Ifshouldered cartridges be used, as illustrated in Fig. 2, they rest bytheir shoulders against corresponding shoulders within the "chambers 9.\Vhen moved into firing position by the vertical movement of the slide8, the cartridges are held between the jaws of a recoil-block, 41. Thisblock is furnished with a recoil-pin, 42, and follower 43, acting upon arecoil-spring, 44, and may be made to carry back the firingpins 19 tococked position. The said firingpins are made in two pa'rtsthat is tosay, with separate nose-pieces 19, which, on the retirement of thefiring-pins proper or sliding hammers 19, are moved back within thebreech plate of the gun, and when the said sliding hannners 19 arereleased receive the impact thereof and deliver the firing-stroke to thecartridges.

The angular elevation for range is controlled by worm-gearing 15, actingon the elevating screw 46, as in Fig. 2, or by the screw and coggedsegment shown in Fig. 2.

The following is what is claimed the above-described invention:

1. In a machine-gun, the combination, with a horizontal range of barrelsand one or more horizontal range or ranges of magazines, of abreech-slide, a horizontal rock-shaft, and connections between saidslide and rock-shaft, the said parts being so arranged that the rotationor partial rotation of the rock-shaft shall produce a verticalreciprocatory movement of the breech-slide.

as new in 2. A positive feeding mechanism consisting of a range ofmagazines, followers sliding therein, a bar connecting said followers,and suitable connections for inovingthe connecti ngbar and followers,substantially as described.

3. The combination of the levers 31, ratchetpulleys 33 33, connections36 36, bar 37, and followers 38, for loading the cartridges by apositive movement, substantially in the manner described.

4. The combination, with a vertically-moving breech-slide, a series oftrigger-levers, and a series of sliding hammers with which the saidtrigger-levers engage, substantially as de scribed, of a rock-shaft andconnections withv said slide, and a second rocleshaft and connectionsbetween said shaft and the first rockshaft, for producing a doublemovement of the second rock -shaft for each movement of the firstrock-shaft, and attachments to the second rock-shaft for producing adisengagement of the trigger-levers from the sliding hammers,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. The combination of the roeleshaft 10, wrists 14, rods 15, crank-arms16, second rockshaft, 17, forked arms 18, and firing pins or hammers 19,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. The combination of rock-shaft 17, ad justable tappet-plate 27, slide24, triggers 20 20, and hammers 19" 19, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

JAMES HENRY MCLEAN. MYRON COLONEY.

\Vitnesses as to McLean:

.Tlis. MILLAN, J AS. CLARK. Vitnesscs as to Coloney:

\VILBUR C. LAMBERT, SAML. G. GooDsELt.

